The Last Midnight
by shindougal
Summary: The Circus of Insanity is in town! Five years after Invader Zim, Dib and Zim are in Hi-Skool. Dib is acting strange...what's up with him checking on Zim? Why is he getting lapses in memory? There's more than one Irken on this planet! Are there really more aliens out there? Read and find out! ZADR, GazxTak OOCxOOC
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: So now I'm back into Invader Zim. This take place five years after the original series. I've been trying to read the new comic books that just came out, but, I'm also working on my own novel. Anyway, the OOC is not a Mary Sue, she's more a character that pushes the romance. This first chapter only pushes the setting, rather than start some awkward romance. I'm still not sure how I want to push these characters. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Invader Zim! It belongs to Jhonen Vasquez! The only characters I own is Miri and the cast of the Circus of Insanity! Don't sue me!

Dib looked over at Ms. Bitters as she explained the new temporary student. She was as tall as he was, long back hair, brown skin, and unreadable yellow eyes. Ms. Bitters looked at her chart and then looked around. Five desks were empty around Dib. He expected that much, considering everyone says he's insane. "Go take your seat near Dib." she said, "if he starts acting insane, whack him with this stun baton. It's also a good zapper."

The girl looked bewilderedas she took it. "Miri will be staying with us for a few weeks until the...Circus of Insanity leaves."

A few students murmured to themselves. "Frankly, I already have a class full of freaks, I didn't need anymore. Go take your seat."  
Walking past Zim's desk, he twitched and then began screaming. "Maltusian! Evil! Ev-aaah!"  
Miri zapped him and his body twitched. She looked at Ms. Bitters nervously. "I-is this ok?" she asked  
"Zim's the other insane one. Go ahead and zap him as much as you like."

She looked at Zim twitching and smirked evilly. "I like this Hi-Skool."  
Dib watched as Miri sat next to him and slammed her bag down. Slumping into her chair, Ms. Bitters began her lesson on exploding stars. Dib was poked in the side with the stun baton. "Wake me when class is over. I've heard this one a million times."  
Dib looked at her strangely as she put her head between her arms. Zim became conscious and began screaming before Ms. Bitters zapped him again. How Ms. Bitters became their teacher for the next 5years was a mystery, though Dib knew it hat something to do with cutbacks. Twice, he wanted to test of Hi-Skool, but his father insisted on he stay in Hi-Skool and learn "real science". Eventually, going to college. Lately, Zim hasn't tried anything, except a few minutes ago.  
Over the pst five years, his father became less and less involved, and even forgot their yearly dinners together. Gaz didn't care, more freedom for her, and no reason to the leave the house besides Hi-Skool and the game shop. Also, it occurred to him that Zim was shorter than all other students. Dib could step on him, or sit on hm (which he has done more than once). The green alien had been on his mind more than usual, considering he was going to a nearly-empty home with Gaz going off somewhere when she wasn't at the game shop. When the bell rang for lunch, he looked at Miri, who was sleeping peacefully. Knowing what Ms. Bitters would do to her, he quickly poked her with his ruler and she glared at him with inhuman eyes. Her fangs showed a bit before she turned back to normal. Dib nearly fell out of his chair. "Is it over?"  
"L-lunch..." he said  
"Thanks. Can you show me where cafeteria is? I have no idea where I'm going."  
Zim stared at Miri as she created a can of soda in her hand. when she saw the food, she backed away slowly. There was no way she was dying tonight from living food. Some other kids, who looked like aliens themselves hung around her, but then left as she began talking to Gaz. He had to eliminate her. Maltusians were considered a dangerous enemy of the Irken Empire, one could be killed by three, even with a Megadoomer. The only way Zim could get the Almighty Tallest's attention is if he killed a Maltusian and brought he course before them. Gaz and Miri were playing Game Slave, and Dib was, strangely, nowhere to be found. Losing, she sighed and closed it, asking Gaz, who pointed upward and she nodded her head. Her bag was slung over over her shoulder as Zim followed her to the stairwell that leads to the roof. She paused, and then grabbed a railing, using it to jump from bar to to bar. Zim followed wit his Pak, climbing slowly. Behind the two was Dib, who wasn't sure if Miri was an alien, or something else paranormal.  
Zim could see Miri using her phone when he went for the attack. "Die, Maltusian scum!" he yelled  
She disappeared from him and he stopped, listening. One of his spider legs pulled under and he slammed into the concrete. Miri had black print around her eyes as she reappeared. She looked fairly annoyed and crossed her arms. "I'm not here to hurt anyone, Irken." she said  
"Lies! Zim will not fall for your lies!"

Zim recovered and began charging her, making her disappear yet again. This time, she grabbed his body as he hit the wall at a blinding speed, and Miri stepped down on his chest. "I'm a half-maltusian you ass! I have no need to hurt anyone, unlike you Irkens who invade everything because of your _precious Tallest_!"  
Zim couldn't respond, with a boot pushed into his throat. "The Maltusians didn't even want to fight you Irkens. Your race was the one who started the war! I'm only going to say this once: I'm not going to fight you unless you make me, and that won't be pretty for either one of us."  
The bell rang and she looked to see a panting, and shocked Dib. "M-miri?" he asked  
The momentary distraction gave Zim enough time to charge his legs and give her a a full shock. She crumpled a bit, but then grabbed the limb closest and pulled. Zim cried out in pain as she leaned closely into her face. Her fangs were close to the crook of his neck. "You're very lucky that Dib is here to protect you..." she whispered, "because I would've made sure that you'd be limping home."  
She punched him once in the face and got up. Dib stood, shaking, not sure what to do. Miri picked up her bag and walked over to him. "We should get to class." she said, "bell rang."  
"You're a...an alien?"  
"Half-alien. Its...look, can we talk about this after class? Preferably _not in detention_?"

Dib watched her as she stepped on top of the railing, and then made a large jump to the bottom. He then remembered Zim, who he could've captured at this moment, make sure everyone could see that he wasn't insane.

But...

Looking at Zim as he recovered...he wasn't sure if he wanted to capture him...or help him...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dib had the unfortunate ordeal of seeing Zim at his worst. The Irken had a very visible shiner and his leg looked broken. As he approached, the Irken looked like he had been through a war. He wobbled as he tried to stand, and he glared at Dib. He recognized it as he hate had for his father years ago. Zim used his PAK legs to stable himself. "What do you want, Dib-stink?" he glared  
"I'm just checking."  
"Checking for what?"  
"Just making sure you're not dead."  
"You should be happy to know that Zim is stronger than any Maltusian freak."  
Dib sighed and shook his head. He began walking towards Zim and saw the Irken squint his eyes. "Stay back..." he hissed  
"Zim..."  
"Stay back!"  
"Your leg-"  
"Will heal! Don't...just...don't..."  
Dib watched Zim limp away and sighed. He was being stubborn again. "Physical education is next." said Zim  
Dib sighed, the most annoying subject in High Skool. He waited for his Irken frienemy to make his way downstairs before separating from him. His locker had the usual writing on it: "weird" and "fag". Dib sighed and opened it, pulling out a duffel bag. A football thwacked him in the back of the head. "Hey! Membrane!" yelled a voice  
"Shit.."  
He rolled his eyes and looked at the handsome man in a quarterback outfit. Ron was the best quarterback in Hi-Skool, and he got to do anything and everything he wanted, including making Dib's life a living hell. "Today's big 2 mile challenge is up! Gonna make it to the field this time?"  
Dib said nothing and walked away. He knew what would happen if he responded. "Hey!" yelled Ron  
Dib began walking faster. His boots thudded against the ground as he heard Ron and his followers chasing after him. "I'm not done talking to you, fag!" yelled Ron  
He ducked into the auditorium, where everything was dark. He hid behind the curtain after running down the isles. Ron and his followers ran around, using their cell phones to illuminate. "Dammit!" said one  
"Come on, we'll catch him later!" said another  
Dib took a deep breath and stood up. He hated gym day, he _really_ hated that he had to participate, and deal with abuse.  
Ever since Middle Skool, everything seemed to change, even his relationship with Zim. The Irken seemed more tolerable than his own peers. He wasn't sure when it happened, but he stopped trying to expose Zim as an alien. He'd figured, either everybody was too stupid, or they just didn't care. Feelings of angst just billowed in his stomach and he realized that he didn't care as much about saving the Earth. Sure, there was his sister Gaz, but there was nobody else worth saving, not even his absentee father. Professor Membrane began appearing even less when they reached the age where they could be home alone. Actually, there was a drone walking around the house acting like it was their father, but both of them saw through the truth, and didn't pay it any mind. It was a "Father" drone, disciplining, maintaining the household, and cooking for everyone. He had an inking their father forgot their age because of how it wanted to help with homework they surpassed in the 5th grade.  
The back door opened and he turned on his smartphone light to find out who it was. "H-hello?" he asked  
Hearing nothing, he sighed. He then looked at the text message from social media: "Humans disappearing in droves from Chicago!"  
His eyes widened and then everything went blank for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Miri looked around for a moment around the track and field. The number of students gathered looked like it was the entire student population. She shuffled her body next to Gaz. She was playing a game on her smart phone. "No game slave?"  
"Too obvious in this class." said Gaz, "Still a GS mod on the phone."  
"Nice. Wait, how are you going to do the run?"  
"I'm a ninja."  
"Ok...?"  
"You're an alien."  
"What-?"  
"Dib texted me a photo of you sleeping."  
"What?! That stalker!"  
"He's been trying to expose aliens since middle school."  
"I don't know how I feel about that."  
"Don't take him seriously. He screws himself over every time."  
"..thanks..."  
"Seriously, I'd doubt you'd even register as capture. He's after Zim."  
"Zim? The obviously bright green alien in the class?"  
"That's the one. Your disguise is great, by the way."  
"Gaz, I'm a half-alien. I don't have any real noticeable features. And no, I'm not here to take over the world or anything. You gotta have a bloated ego to want world domination."  
"Spaz." said someone  
Gaz looked at the blonde wearing a hoodie. He had on a pair of shorts and wore glasses behind what looked like amber eyes. Gaz grunted and went back to her phone. "Where did you come from?" asked Miri  
"Back of the line." said the blonde, "Where's the Irken you texted me about?"  
"I kicked his ass. He's around her somewhere."  
Gaz snorted. "Tell me if he bothers you again." said the blonde, "I'll make sure he stops."  
"Gen...I handled it."  
"How violently?"  
"Don't worry about it."  
"Yaga said not to cause trouble."  
"I didn't. He won't be able to use those PAK legs for a while...or his leg..."  
Gen shuddered. "Why would you do that?"  
"He messed me me. I'm not going to get killed because I'm a Maltusian scum..."  
"Miri, you're not scum, you're-"  
"Hey!"  
The three teens looked up at Coach Mastadon, who was glaring at them. He was imposing man, looking more like a beefed up bull than a human. His face had as much beard as a bear, and he always snorted loudly as a form of breathing. "Am I interrupting something?" he said  
"Nope." said Gen  
"Good! You'll three will be the first to start the run! Get to the front!"  
The three of them sighed and walked to the front of the line. "Now," started Mastadon, "you'll have one hour to complete this one mile run! All you need to do is go around the track four times. If you try to walk, you'll get zapped with the ankle bracelet!"  
"This has got to be illegal..." muttered Gen  
A loud scream got the class' attention. One of the cheerleaders looked hysterical. She shook horribly and fell to her knees. "R-Ron..he...so much blood...there's so much blood..."  
As the students and Coach Mastadon went to find out what was wrong, Gen gave Miri a look. "It wasn't me. I broke his leg, not open any wounds. I don't even know who Ron is."  
Gaz saw her text message and sighed. "I think Dib fought back." she sighed  
"Why?" asked Miri  
"He's in the infirmary."  
Zim glared back at Dib. He was repairing his PAK legs, which caused his nerves to ache. He wanted to make Miri pay, but he couldn't do it out in the open. Dib was sitting, holding his bruised arm, still bewildered about why he was in the nurse's office, which wasn't the most sanitary of places to be. The alcohol on the nurse's desk looked like it was from the 1930s. Dib stopped staring and laid back on the bed. Everything was the same as it was before...wait..same as before?  
Shadowy images appeared before him, making him stand up and look around. Rows of beds, people tied down, electrical wiring shocking them. One nurse, covered in blood, looked at him curiously. "What are you doing up?" she asked, "Your treatment isn't finished."  
"No..." started Dib  
He turn and began running down the rows of beds. Alarms blared in his ears as men in white came to capture him. The doors opened to reveal more men in white. No! He wasn't going to get captured again. He grabbed the closest thing to him, a clip board. He took the light object and smashed into the one guard's face, making him stumble a bit. Dib was tackled backwards, head hitting the ground. "Dib..." said a voice  
He looked to his right and saw a sharp pencil and reached for it. "Dib..." cried out the voice  
Pencil in hand, he tried stabbing the guard in the face. "DIB!" he yelled  
Blinking, he found himself staring at Gaz. The pencil was nearly shoved in her eye, and she had a hard time gripping his arm. He let go, letting the pencil fall to his chest. "What the fuck?!" she yelled  
He looked around. He was still in the nurse's office. He hit some blonde student in the face, and Zim was in a corner, staring at him. Gaz got up, glaring at him as he did the same. "A-are you ok?" asked Miri  
Dib rubbed his arm. He wasn't sure. "I'm not..." growled the blonde  
"Gen, you'll be fine."  
Tallest Red stared at the person screaming in the cell. Shocks ran through the body, chains rattled, head swaying, mouth foaming. It was exhilarating. The human body could withstand more torture than he could ever dream. That man delivered humans, by the droves, for Irken experiments. Maybe, humans weren't just useless animals that could be used for exploitation. Said man grinned, short gray hair, wearing a black suit and smoking a cigarette. He flicked at the man, begging for help in the cage. "If you think this is fun." he stated, "Wait until you see the half-breeds I brought in."  
"Half-breeds?"asked Tallest Red  
"There are half-breed aliens on this planet. Plenty to experiment on."  
Tallest Red a wicked smirk on his face and nodded over to the closest Irken Guard standing to him. The smaller Irken had the task of giving him a heavy case full of gems of Irken mine slaves have dug up. "How many more half-breeds can you give us?" asked Tallest Red, "I'm sure our scientists would love some more jobs."  
"As many as you like." said the gray-haired man


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _Dib felt himself fall to his knees. He looked back at the body in shock as it lied there. This was terrible. He could do nothing to stop the invasion, or prevent the half-breeds from being kidnapped. Irken ships flew overhead, attacking humans, corralling some. "DIB!" yelled a voice_  
 _In the distance, he couldn't see anyone but the Irken soldiers. He got up and looked around. He wasn't sure where to go. One minute, he was on Zim's couch watching the news when Zim placed the whole base on lockdown. He didn't say where was going, just for him to stay put..._  
 _That was two hours ago..._  
 _Dib picked up a gun from the downed soldier. Plasma rifles were switched over mid-battle, or at least that's what he picked up when he hacked the system. Specially made from Professor Membrane. A blast exploded over his head and he aimed his gun. "Dib!" yelled the voice_  
 _He heard growling and a he saw a terrifying dog-like creature bounding towards him. Aiming the gun, he fired off a few rounds, but he missed. It bounded at him and snapped it's jaws on his arm. Dib cried out in pain as he felt his bones shatter. He grabbed the sharpest tool he could find and jabbed it into the creature's eye. It howled as Dib stabbed it worse. It fell dead taking Dib with him._

"DIB! YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE US LATE!" yelled a familiar voice  
Dib groggily woke up and stared at the alien poster on the ceiling. He was in his room. His arm was fine. Slowly getting up, he drug his body to his door, where Gaz was currently banging on it. He opened it and his sister looked like she was going to pop a blood vessel. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail and a typical t-shirt in jeans. She didn't even bother with goth make up tonight. She looked...completely out of character. Before she could utter another insult at her older brother, he pushed her out the way by her face and began dragging his body to the bathroom. "I need a shower..." he mumbled  
Gaz twitched for a bit. Never in her life has her brother touched her. She went straight for him and then skidded to a stop as she looked at her brother's face. "Is there any particular reason you're stopping me from taking you to the circus?" he asked  
Gaz huffed, turned on her heel, and walked away. An uneasy feeling welled up in her stomach. "Hi Gaz!" said Robo-Membrane  
"Fuck off..." she growled  
"Have a nice day!"

Zim banged his head against the keyboard. Three weeks, and no mission, no idea, nothing was coming to him. His rations were low, he didn't know how to even grow vegetables to keep himself fed, and drinking the water was out. "MASTAH!" yelled a voice  
Zim groaned, he wasn't in the mood for this right now. Gir jumped on his back. "I'm back from Tijuana!" he said  
"Tijuana? What is a Tijuana? You know what never mind, Zim doesn't care."  
"Aww, but I brough back a drink for ya!"  
"What? Wait Gir, don't aaaah!"  
Zim rolled around in the floor, expecting the pain from water, but it was just a pinch. Sitting up for a moment, he glared at his defective SIR had sprayed a smelly, sticky substance on him that merely felt like a pinch rather than excruciating pain. He flicked some of the liquid at Gir, who ran around in a circle. "What is this...substance...?"  
"Dandy man says it makes ya feel good!"  
Zim snatched the drink from Gir before he decided to spray it again. "I should analyze this substance..." he muttred  
A drop of liquid hit his tongue and he first winced for pain, but, it felt sweet. Sniffing the drink he read it labled "Wiskey". He looked at Gir, who then ran off to play with Minimoose. Maybe he could drink earth liquid after all...

Gen looked up at Miri curiously. She was sending a text and snickering. "Aren't you supposed to be practicing?" he asked  
"I'm going from a trapeze to a noose. All I'm going to do is pretend hang myself, do a trick, and land gracefully on the ground. Not much a trick when you've done it thousands of times."  
"You can mess up really bad."  
"I doubt it. Anyway, Gaz said she's getting tickets right now and she said that somebody better get hurt."  
"What do you like her again? She's sounds like a psycho."  
"She's not a psycho, she's just...eccentric."  
A woman with long gray hair wearing a ringmaster's outfit appeared. Her face showed scales and she had pointed claws on each hand. "Curtain call!" she called out, "Remember, no extreme tricks until later on in the week!"  
A lot of the circus members groaned and he rolled her eyes. "We don't need a repeat of the last time we did a deadly stunt and a kid decided to repeat it."  
"Do you still want me to do the hanging noose?" asked Miri  
"No! We don't need excited mothers in the audience. Just do the regular trapeze act for now. Oh, and that remind me Gen, no knife throwing tonight."  
The blonde grumbled something under his breath and put away the switchblade he was messing with. The ringmaster used a watch to alter her appearance, making her look like a woman in her 50s. Miri swung back to the podium, awaiting her performance. She wore a bright blue bodysuit with dark blue outlining her hips and her shoes. She hated this outfit with a passion, but it couldn't be helped. Nobody could see her if she wore black in the rafters. She sat down on the edge and watched the ringmaster began with her usual excited speech about tales of the unknown. She began playing Angry Birds on her phone and then noticed as the clowns were the first act. A couple of shapeshifting half-breeds who could perform without injury. As the crowd cheered, she looked at Gen typing on his min-computer. He was pissed, no knife-throwing tonight means he was on support staff and bored. Her phone beeped and she looked at it.  
Gaz: _"Why are there mutated clowns? This isn't even funny..."_  
Miri: _"It's a warm-up. The great feats will start soon."_  
Gaz: _"Somebody better get hurt.."  
_ Miri chuckled and looked around the crowd to find Gaz. Though, she found something strange, or rather, _someone_ strange. There was a man wearing a pinstripe suit began straightening his gray hair. He tied it up in a high ponytail and she began to get an uneasy feeling. As he made himself ringside, the ringmaster began to approach him as she did others that wanted to try their talent live, but froze. The spotlight turned on him and he walked to the center of the ring. The ringmaster was still frozen. "This isn't good..." muttered Miri  
"Ladies and Gentleman!" he started, "The real show is about to begin. Prepare to be amazed, as we show the real feats! The real faces of all the performers!"  
The clowns tried to attack him but they froze on the spot. "Why don't you show these people what you really are?" he asked  
As the clowns wiped off their makeup and took off their costumes, they began morphing into blue-skinned humans. Men in suits came rushing down the isles and the crowd became curious. "Now, how about our darling performers? I wonder what they look like out of their masks? Would all the top performers please come down to the ring?"  
Miri felt the uncontrollable urge to obey. Her legs wobbled as she climbed down from the top of the trapeeze. Gen looked around at all the performers and grabbed Miri by her waist. Her Maltusian abilities kicked in and she forcefully pulled Gen off of her. "I have to obey!" she said, "He told me to come out here!"  
Gen stuck a syringe in her neck and she wobbled a bit. "What...?" she asked  
"Sedative." he said, "It'll keep you from obeying."  
Both Gaz and Dib felt the uncontrollable urge to obey for a strange reason, but were able to resist. They both saw a multitude of people beginning to line up, including the ringmaster. Men in combat gear began putting collars on them. The audience began to mutter. "Can any other people hiding in the audience also please step forward?" asked the man in the suit  
Dib held a death grip on Gaz as she tried to move. She glared down at him as sweat beaded down his face. "Oh come on," he started, "Nobody is even attempting to come down here? Nobody in our audience is hiding? Oh well...I guess I'll have to send my mend up there to find them."  
One of the guests got up from his seat and began walking. A guard barred his way out. "Sir," he started, "go back to your seat."  
"Screw you."  
He was hit with the butt of a gun and shot dead. Then, people began to panic. The man in the suit merely chuckled and pulled out a remote. "And here I thought people were too ignorant to feel scared..." he said  
As people began running around, the guards began to shoot.  
In the back, Gen held Miri as she was sweating. The sedative negated her strength, but her will was something else. "All members backstage come to the front!" yelled the man  
"Damn you Grayden..." muttered Gen  
He struggled to drag Miri outside the tent and into his trailer, where he sedated her more.  
Back inside the tent, as the panic began to get worse, Grayden (the man in the pinstripe suit), looked at the two people still sitting. Smirking, he pointed at the two. "Everyone stop! Gaz and Dib Membrane!" he called out, "You two are missing all the fun! Come down here!"  
As both siblings felt their body pull, Gaz noticed that Dib looked like he was panicking. For once, she couldn't blame them, their bodies were moving without their own will. Struggling, to get through the crowd, Gaz ended up losing her brother's hand, which made her realize just how dependent she was on him at the moment. It disgusted her to no end. Still, her body kept obeying. The one thing that she realized that when everybody froze, that she could use the bodies to keep herself from moving forward. Dib felt his mouth foaming up as he struggled with every step, cursing himself for letting go of Gaz. Everything about this man's body spelled evil, and he wasn't sure, but he felt like it was a familiar evil. The man's face showed not comfort from his handsome features, but of Lucifer himself. He slid his hands over the seats, hoping to find something sharp. He said for him to come, but never said anything about grabbing something on the way.  
Grayden smirked evilly and watched in the corner of his eye the guards that were standing there. Their holographic bands worked like a charm, and nobody seemed to question when they began to appear in the audience. In fact, taking over this circus seemed to be a breeze. He walked over to the ringmaster and stroked her cheek. "To think that you've been hiding in this circus the whole time, Galena."  
The ringmaster shivered under his touch, but she couldn't resist him, nobody could. "I wonder though, is this _all_ of your freaks?"  
Her lips quivered and her head beaded from trying to resist. "Tell me Galena, is this all of them?"  
She felt herself getting sick, her jaw willed itself open and her voice came out. "No." she said  
"Oh? How many more are there?"  
"Four..."  
"Really? Just four?"  
"Yes."  
"Where are they?"

"Answer me!"  
"T-trailers..."  
"Now, was that so hard Galena?"  
Grayden turned to the soldier to his left. "Check the trailers. Bring all the freaks here."  
Dib's shirt was drenched by the time he made it to the stage. Gaz was already standing there, wearing an inhibitor collar. Grayden gave a dark smirk and then grabbed Dib by his throat, making him see black spots. "Drop it." he growled  
Dib felt himself losing consciousness as he felt the beer bottle drop from his fingers. His body dropped to the floor and he gasped for air. "I guess your'e not as stupid as your file makes you sound." said Grayden, "I guess I'll be having fun keeping you around as a pet..."  
"What...?  
"You'll figure it out later. For now, get in line with-gah!"  
Grayden looked down at his side and looked down at a syringe. He looked around angrily and saw someone he wasn't expecting to see so soon. "Don't you have anything else better to do?" he growled, "Then chase me around all day?"  
Grayden felt woozy and the people around them began moving and loosening their limbs. He panted and pointed at the guards. "C-carry the ones collared out." he said  
"Do it and I'll stick on in your eye." said the person, "Release my son!"  
"Your son? Be honest, Membrane, we both know-"  
"Shut up!"  
Other soldiers began appearing around them and Grayden bit his nail. He then turned and motioned for the guards to follow. As opposing men followed Grayden, Membrane and his men began firing. The soldiers anticipated this and created a shield.  
Miri hated getting sedated. She gulped down an ice cold water bottle and glared at Gen, who was working on his computer. "I hate you." she said  
"You didn't get captured." he said, deadpan, "You're welcome."  
"You know most anesthesia makes me nauseous."  
"You'll sweat it out your pores."  
"Still hate you...who was that guy anyway?"  
"Grayden."  
"Who?"  
"An SOB who's got a chip on his shoulder."  
"How do you know him?"  
"Long story...gotta get back to work stopping him."  
Screaming alerted them to look out the windows of the trailer. They could see Grayden and what looked like Irkens fighting off men in military grade uniforms. "Shit..." muttered Gen  
Gen saw Grayden pull out a dart and he got curious. However, he didn't have much time to think as a downed Irken shot into the trailer and he pushed Miri to the ground. He groaned in pain and gripped his side. "My squeedilyspooch..." he muttered  
Miri quickly used a nearby blanket to press down on the wound, which began bleeding through it. "This is bad..." she said, "We gotta get you to a hospital."  
"No hospital..."  
He sat up as he heard the fighting began to disappear. "I need a lab." he said  
"You mean like a science lab?"  
"Not a human lab...I need..."  
"You mean Zim? Great...that's going to be fun to talk to him about. You know he hates me, right?"  
Gen struggled to get up. Miri used her body to be a counterweight. She could see where the human guise was ripped. "You're talking to one of the one of the best scientists of the Irken Empire. I can get through anything."  
"You mean _ex-scientist_?"  
"We gotta find that Membrane kid. He knows where the brat is hiding."  
"In this fight?"  
"Sedative should've worn off by now."  
"Right..."  
Gen sat on his bed while Miri rushed out into the chaos that was left behind during the firefight.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Miri poofed in front of Dib, causing him to jump and Professor Membrane to aim his gun at her face. "Woah!" she yelled  
"Dad!" started Dib, "No!"  
She raised her arms above her head. "Do you know this girl?" asked Professor Membrane  
"She goes to my school."  
"Dib, I need you to tell me where Zim lives!" said Miri  
"What?"  
"I need to know? Gen's in trouble and he needs Irken technology!"  
"Why would he need that?"  
"There's not time! I need your help _right now_!"  
"Son, we need to go."  
Dib glanced at his father out the corner of his eye and sneered. "You're only around because of some weak from of caring."  
He nodded to Miri and she looked worriedly at Professor Membrane. "What about-"she started  
"You said Gen's in trouble, right?!" yelled Dib  
She looked at him bewildered and then grabbed him. Poofing instantly made Professor Membrane and his team jump. His son was going to have a lot of explaining to do when he got back.

Zim groaned as he felt his head pounding. He had just gotten in contact with the Almighty Tallest, and he cursed Gir for even bringing alcohol to the base. He knew something was wrong with the earth substance. Everything was clearer when he was drinking. He could see the Almighty Tallest mocking them with their smiles. Replaying the footage, he looked like a fool, wobbling off his chair. It was the slip of Purple's tounge that gave away the most hurful feeling Zim had ever felt. He was fool, and there was no amount of mockery appreation the Almighty Tallest could do to make him feel any better. He stood up, staring at their faces as they mentioned that he was banished. He could feel the tears, that he tried to fight, but to no avail. An intense pain in his heart made him keel over. "Feels like shit, doesn't it?" asked a voice  
He glared at an Irken who was sitting on his lab table, currently injecting himself with something. His gold eyes pierced into his ruby ones. "I told you that they would tell you the truth." he said  
Zim growled, ready to attack, but then felt sick. He fell to his knees and vomited all over the floor. "Zim hates you." he said  
"I know." said Gen, "That seems to be our mutual feeling."  
Gen wrapped gauze around himself and then put his shirt on...his _human_ shirt. "Turn Zim's defenses back on." said Zim  
"Why would I do that?" said Gen, "You hate me, remember?"

"Aim doesn't even know why Zim's not attacking you."

"I need to teach you how to take normally...Alcohol gives Irkens clarity. All that genetic pre-disposed shit they send you every month makes you an egotistical asshole."

"You teach Zim? Hah! Zim speaks perfectly!"  
"Yeah, that's perfect."  
A loud crash made them look up. "Gir..." growled Zim

Hearing the elevator come down, he turned his head to find the top intruder in his lab eating a taco. Looking at him closely, he noticed something was off about the human that stalked him. Strange twitches, flashes of anger, no ounce of overreaction. Zim made a note of taking the human's disgusting brain organ out and scanning it when his head stopped throbbing. "So let me get this straight," started Dib, "you're both Irkens...but _you're not_ trying to take over the Earth?"  
"Why would I want to take over a simple backwater planet like this?" asked Gen, "Besides, if I _were_ to take over Earth, it would be too easy."  
"Thanks for the sentiment..."

"Dib, I was banished here because of Red and Purple."

"Almighty Tallest Red and Purple." said Zim  
"There's nothing Almighty about those two. I'm surprised you're even loyal to them after that rejection you gave to you. Oh wait, I forgot about your conditioning in your PAK."  
"Lies!" yelled Zim, "Filthy lies!"  
He winced as he held his head. "A hangover will do that to you." said Gen, "Besides, if I were lying, your PAK would've sensed it."  
Zim glared at the other Irken. He knew Gen was right. Dib looked at Gen's PAK, which looked modified differently than Zim's, just a plain oval-shaped machine on his back. "Zim vows to never drink again..." groaned the younger Irken  
"You have to learn to moderate yourself." said Gen, "Alcohol can be regulated in an Irken's system when drinking in moderation and _not_ excessively."  
Zim merely groaned and laid his head down. "I guess I'll teach you that..." started Gen, "and how to survive on this planet when I move in."  
"What?!...ugh.."

"If stop being overemotional this would stop happening. I can't stay at the circus while I recover, and I have feeling that we'll all need to go into hiding soon."  
"Hiding?" asked Dib, "Didn't that guy run off?"

"Run off? Oh you mean Grayden. You don't understand. Grayden's not from Earth, he's really the one here trying to invade."

"What for?"

"I have no idea. Grayden's an Amari, One of the few races that can manipulate and control others. I met him over 40 years ago...I saw how he took over an entire planet."

"You're 40 years old?"

"I'm 88."

"Then...Zim?"

"Zim's age is of no important to Dib-worm." groaned Zim  
"He's 74...I think..." said Gen  
"Zim is 82...Zim has not been a child in a long time."  
"Could've fooled me."

Dib swallowed the rest of his taco and wondered when Gir got good at tacos. Then again, Miri was upstairs cooking as well. She found a way to shut him up after the last explosion near the stove...flappy birds app. She Gir copy the app into his brain. Now, he was sitting and bobbing his head up and down. She finished the rest of the food. Despite her neutral demeanor, Dib could tell she was worried. Gen told her to make meals because if she saw blood...she hadn't fed in a while. Dib knew what not being fed meant, even if she was a half-Maltusian. "Wait..." he muttered, "how do I know this?"  
"Know what?" asked Gen  
"...I don't know."

Dib felt an intense, heating, sharp blade in his brain and he passed out.

 _Dib took in a sharp breath as he looked up at the florescent lights. All types of memories flooded back to him, including memories of an Irken invasion that didn't happen. His head was pouding and he hated hte spring bed he sat on. Professor Membrane let them stay at his lab, but Gaz left for a friend's place and Dib was too nauseous to argue. Heis feet were cold against the tile floor. Rubbing the tired out of hsi eyes, he looked up at the observation deck. "Dammit Dad..." he muttered_  
 _He went striaght for the chamber door and struggled to open it. "Dib! Son! Get back to bed!"_  
 _"Let me out!"_  
 _"You're not well. Your brain waves are off the charts! We need to find out what's wrong!"_  
 _"You're not caging me in again old man!"_  
 _Dib paused, getting a sick feeling of deja vu. His body shook and he felt the room fall beneath him. Flashbacks of his father strapping him to the bed and giving him medications flashed through his mind. His body began to sweat profusely and his legs fell beneath him. Alarms began blaring and he got up again. Professor Membrane grabbed him and led him back to bed, but the he shoved his father. The memories were jumbled in his brain, and he began to run._

Grayden growled as he got back to base. He managed to take a few members of the circus, but not all of them. Certainly, not the one he wanted to obtain. The Irken guards were placing the members on pods to send to Irk. He was a bit annoyed that Professor Membrane had gotten to him so quickly. The old man was getting smarter. Still, he did get enough of a haul to keep Red and Purple happy. Smirking, he thought about the next stage in his plan. He was going to get his prize yet, and then, everything would fall in place. There was one Irken, however, he would have to take care of. Red and Purple called him annoying, but he could use him to get his prize. He would just have to convince him how to get back into Red and Purple's good graces. Looking over at a half-breed, he remembered that this particular one had the ability to cast illusions. He looked at the Irken that was trying to pack her up. "Give me a blood sample of this one." he said, "I think I may have some research to do for this one."

"I don't think this is necessary." said a voice  
Dib blinked a few times and wondered why everything looked so blurry.  
"The brain functions are off the charts. We need to regulate it before his brain explodes."  
He could hear a machine going and his body began getting nervous. "Zim, we're not slicing his head off." groaned a voice  
"The Dib-human has a strange, large head. We could find the root of all his problems."  
"That's called therapy and humans don't slice off each other's heads to find out problems. Just get the medicine ready."  
Dib's eyes widened and he pulled his body. "What?" asked Zim, "The Dib-human has awakened from falling."  
"It's called fainting. And Dib, you're going to be fine. I think your brain has fluctuated."  
"What...?" asked Dib  
"Let me get you your glasses."  
"Let me out..." growled Dib  
"You just fainted and your brain functions are at all time high you-"  
"Let. Me. Out."  
"Dib-stink, you're going to-"

Miri was upstairs when everything was going on. There was a new season of The Walking Dead and she wasn't going to miss this one...until a large bang made her shake out of her seat. She heard rumbling under her feet and she growled. If she had to break up an argument between Zim and Gen and it wasn't a commercial beak, there was going to be hell to pay. She fell back on her back as she saw a figure covered in debris come from the floor. The figure then dashed quickly out of the door and she froze. Gen used his PAK to get up from the hole. "Dammit!" he growled  
"What the fuck?!" yelled Miri, "I was almost at the Season 5 finale!"

"Dib's loose and you're worried about the Walking Dead?!"  
" _That_ was _Dib_?! What did you do to him?!"

"I was trying to do a scan of his brain and...dammit! I was tying to figure out the synapses in his brain he went nuts! He nearly killed me and when Zim got near, he freaked and ran away!"  
"Shit...well let me see if I can capture him!"  
Miris' eyes turned into her alien color and her face showed dark splotches around her eyes. She touched the ground and began to disappear. "Gen!" yelled a voice  
He rolled his eyes and looked down at Zim, who was understandably pissed. Gen stood on his PAK legs, not sure what the other was going to do in his slightly inebriated state. Zim used his own PAK legs to come out of the hole. "You underestimated the Dib-stink!" he yelled, "Now there's a hole in Zim's lab!"  
"We can fix that in a few days! We have more important things to worry about!"  
"Dib is not a priority to Zim! He will never be believed by these idiotic humans!"  
"God, you're such a...listen! We have a psychotic scientist out there looking for us! Dib's going to lead them right to us! He's not in his right state of mind!"  
"The big-headed one has never been in the right state of mind. Zim doesn't care what the humans do to him. Zim's lab is more important."  
"Are you really _that loyal_ to Red and Purple that you would sacrifice probably the only person that cares about you and let them get captured?"

Zim said nothing. Nobody ever said Dib was his friend. Still, he _was_ the only person that even bothered to check on him. He owed him at least one check...just one. "Gen isn't always right about Zim."

Membrane tapped his fingers as he thought about all the variables at that circus. There should be no such things as aliens...not after what happened... He shook his head and went back to his research on Grayden. Last time he checked, he and the other scientists dug a grave and dropped him into it. After what he nearly made him do, digging him a deep grave was more than he deserved. Looking at his bed, he deserved some rest after dealing with his unruly son and unresponsive daughter. "What did I ever do to deserve this...?" he muttered  
Before he could even lay his head to pillow, he heard the alarms blare, and a loud explosion. Pushing the buttons on his gloved he asked for a status report. Finding nothing, he went to scan the source of the explosion...nothing. He then noticed all the communications in his room were down. Then his maglock door was shut. There was nobody in the hallway, but he could hear people screaming to be let out. Quick thinking he had to get out quickly.

Dib huffed from the rain and dropped to his knees as he inhaled smoke. It was amazing how many security offices had ballistics in them to keep any danger out. However, they never really thought if anybody was trying to break _in._ His feet made a noise as he ran down where his memories kept leading him: Lab A3-21. He had to work quickly as the shutdown of the system meant that generator could come back on at any time. He was trying to figure out how he knew where to go, what to do in case of security, but it only hurt his head more to think about it. The keycard he used opened the door and felt cold. He could see tubes, but they were lowered into the floor, except the one in the center. Getting an uneasy feeling, he kept walking towards it, like it was calling towards him. Unknowingly pressing a button under his foot in front of the tube, the lights came on and his body went into shock. His body began convulsing and he looked up at the tube as a hand reached out towards him. _'Thank you...'_ it said telepathically  
Dib's body convulsed as it looked into the eyes of...himself...  
"Dib...?" asked a voice  
The body in the tank looked annoyed at the teenager tried to walk towards him. She felt her throat closing as she gasped for air. She grasped at her throat, trying to pull whatever was choking her. "Mi..ri..." gasped the Dib on the floor  
The body in the tank could see flashes of two memories. He threw her body out the room and against the steel wall, making a huge dent in it. Her body crumpled to the floor like a rag doll. _'We have to to do this now.'_ said the voice, _'He will be coming soon.'_


End file.
